The Theater Equation [Blu-Ray] [2016]

Fantastic. An epic masterpiece. Blu ray is superb sound and picture. Vocals clear but sub- titles if required. The choir, vocalists and musicians are all the highest standard. Brilliant story line. The best rock opera I have ever seen.

wonderful and amazing what can I say its simply superb work all round

Really enjoyable blu ray. Good all round sound and vision. The musicianship is second to none

I think that the show was amazing, I loved everything about it. The reason for the 4 stars is the picture quality. Most music Blu-rays, usually have great picture quality. They are so sharp that you can read the writing on all the instruments. The picture quality for this Blu-ray is quite bad. If you compare it with Ayreon Universe, you will see a massive difference.

Brilliant. But you do need the sub titles on to fully appreciate the content.

A masterpiece, as usual!

Very good album.

Sounds great but visually terrible, this blu-ray is so dark you can barely see the singers/band. Even turning the TV to its brightest setting made no difference. I'm so glad that I bought Ayreon - Universe before I got this (superb sound and visuals) or The Theater Equation would have put me off buying it.

I have to admit, this performance is a dream come true for an old prog-rocker like me. Ever since Arjen Lucassen's album, "The Human Equation" was released in 2004, this great work has cried out for full dramatic treatment, yet it hasn't happened for various reasons (explained in the liner notes) until now. The new live version is a magnificent achievement, all the way from the arrangements (masterfully reduced to 9 players by Joest van den Broek), to the singing (most of the original cast returning) to the staging (a "unit" set, with a real car, hospital bed, and imaginative lighting). There are a few hiccups, but mainly because Arjen Lucassen was, in effect, creating a new art form with this work, a fully functional and dramatically cogent rock opera.It certainly helps to have back almost all of the stellar original cast, a tribute to the very special nature of this event. Back is James LeBrie in the central role, sounding better here (and on the 2004 album) than he has on any of the Dream Theater albums (I think Lucassen's lyrical style suits him to a tee). Also back are all three of the gorgeous women singers (Marcela Bovio, Heather Findlay, and Irene Jansen, sister of new Nightwish lead singer Floor Jansen and sounding every bit as good), Magnus Ekwall, Devon Graves and the booming bass of Eric Clayton. Only the incredible voice of Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) is missed, but his role of "Fear" is ably represented by Anneke van Giersbergen. Also new to the party is Ayreon veteran Mike Mills, who I think sounds even better than the people he replaced (the great song "Loser" is a real highlight).As for the band, Lucassen himself played about 90% of the instruments on the original album, which of course is impossible live. (Lucassen, in fact, does not play or sing at all in the live show.) The one holdover from 2004 is drummer extraordinaire Ed Warby, which is critical to its success. Warby has been the drummer for almost all the Ayreon albums, and has a unique style which is a huge factor in the "Ayreon sound". Arranger Van Broek and the rest of the band do a remarkable job of recreating the magic of the original album. The sound of the keys and guitars seem dead on, and there are very few "holes" where you feel that parts are missing. Lead guitarist Marcel Coenen even seems to have mastered the idiosyncrasies of Lucassen's guitar playing, down to the odd "bending" of notes from below. Even the original improv key and guitar solos are usually treated literally - Given this, it was a shame that no one tackled the incredible (and I do mean incredible!!) original Hammond solo by Ken Hensley on "Loser". But, this is a small point.A great addition in the live version, not in the original, is a 20 voice choir, which pays dividends on several songs, especially "Pain", "Love", and "Loser". Van Broek even saw fit to give the choir several "reprises" not on the original album, all of which are effective. It is a strong group full of good voices (some of whom served as understudies to the main roles) and their enthusiasm and sheer joy at performing this great music is infectious to watch, adding greatly to the impact of the whole. Again, as a small negative, I wish that ALL of the backup vocals could have been covered, rather than about 50% of them - with that many good voices on the stage, it would seem to have been not only possible, but actually a "no brainer".The Bonus DVD is also fascinating, for those that enjoy such things (I do!). "Behind the Scenes" features interviews with many of the artists (strangely not Lucassen or Warby), lots of backstage footage, and gives a good idea of the huge scope of the project. My favorite, though, is the "Try Out Show", a 1st run-through of the show with the understudies taking the leads. Of course the singing is not as spectacular, but their passion and unbridled joy brought tears to my eyes. Their performance is unfortunately cut on the DVD - I was upset whenever they skipped to a new song! The 48 page, hard cover, full color book (11" by 11", about the size of an LP) is also very well done, featuring many stunning photos of the production. There are not many super/deluxe editions that are worth the money, but this one certainly is. Actually, considering the 48 page book, BluRay, 2 DVDs and 2 CDs, it is probably a bargain! (The DVDs play fine on my American equipment - I don't own a BluRay player.)I have heard that Arjen reads reviews of his work, and I humbly hope that he might run across this one. I hope this is only the beginning of live versions of his work - Certainly at least two of his other "rock operas" ("Electric Castle" and "The Theory of Everything") would be incredible to see live and fully staged. As for "The Human Equation", I think further live performances could work brilliantly either as a "Broadway" theater version similar to what we now have on DVD/BluRay, or as a full orchestra version. Of course, either of these versions would require relinquishing some control, but many more people could hear and appreciate Arjen's incredible achievement. I hope that he is at least considering it.

Epic stage production of an epic Prog Metal masterpiece. All of the performances are brilliant, musically and emotionally, including the acting. Sure, the camera work isn't perfect, but that doesn't really take too much away from this amazing live rock opera and concert.

el servicio fue super bueno,lo recomiendo 100%. los precios super accesibles y la atencion muy buena.gracias por el buen servicio

Grande rappresentazione di uno dei più bei concept di Ayreon: The Human Equation. Non è un concerto live nel senso canonico del termine, ma più che altro una rappresentazione teatrale che narra in musica una storia appassionante.Ottime le performance dei musicisti e soprattutto dei cantanti, che oltre che nel cantare sono impegnati anche nel rappresentare al meglio i personaggi che interpretano. Nel ruolo del protagonista troviamo un James Labrie in ottima forma.Consigliato a chiunque.

I bought this because I am a huge Ayreon fan and I loved the Human Equation. Well I must say that it is everything I hoped it would be and more. It has to be seen to be appreciated, just listening to the CDs is a mere fraction of the experience. The performance of Marcela is just amazing. That being said, I am unable to view the BluRay in my player because, unlike what Arjen may have said, this disk IS REGION LOCKED. I don't know what I am going to do with the set, I really like the art book and don't want to send it back, plus I have not seen the 5 disk set available in Region A yet. My guess is I will wait and pick up the BD alone at a later date, perhaps used.Helpful hint, if you find yourself getting overwhelmed keeping track of the characters and some of the lyrics - turn on the subtitles - works great.